Chapter 1
I Get a New Neighbor
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." I waved at Bree and continued my walk home.
I sighed. Bree's my best friend, but she can get annoying at times.
I suppose I should introduce myself. The name's Blint, Arianna Blint. Folks call me Arie. Painter of canvas. Keeper of cats. Investigator extraordinaire.
Now enough about me; let's move on to the story. Where should I start? The beginning looks like an excellence place.
Let's see: said bye to Bree, was walking home from Club, ahh yes.
When I got home, there was a car in the driveway next door. Now, I know what you're thinking: Big deal, so your neighbor's home. But believe me, this was something.
The house beside me was a creaky, old, three-story Victorian house. The paint was peeling in hardy strips. Deteriorating wooden boards and rusty nails covered shattered windows. The inside was even worse.
The story was that a crazy man lived there with his wife. When she was around, he's under control of his actions. But when she died, he went nuts. In his rage, he killed himself in their bedroom with pills and a shotgun. It is rumored that her spirit coaxed him to do it so he wouldn't hurt anyone.
When they both died, there was no one there to claim anything, and since it was falling apart at the seams, it was abandoned. Along with everything in it. There are portraits and pictures on walls.The bed has lain unmade and untouched since the man died. There is even a half-read book open on the nightstand. And everything is coated in an inch of dust.
Anyway, back to my story. I can't even the person who would actually want to live there. Well, it wasn't long until I met him.
He was sitting on our front porch in our white wicker chairs with the yellow cushions, talking to my mother, who was pouring lemonade into tall glasses.
He was very pale and wore a black business suit. He had dark circles under his eyes. Even though he was seated, I could tell that he rather tall and gangly.
"...So what brings you to Santuary Junction?" my mother was asking.
"Business. I'll be working at an office building in the next town over, but I liked this neighborhood better."
His voice had a certain ghost to his voice, like it was distant or strained. Like it wasn't entirely there.
By then I was on the porch steps. I could smell him. Pine trees and plastic. Chills crawled up my spine.
"Oh, honey! This is Mr. Schlank. He's our new neighbor. Michael, this is my eldest daughter, Arie. She is a junior in high school."
Mr. Schlank rose to his feet and extended his hand. Upon accepting it, I had the weirdest feeling in my life. His hand was freezing and scorching simultaneously. My brain was fuzzy. There was a faint whisper in my ear of a horrible, screechy voice. There were tongues licking the edges of my very mind. Nausea was threatening my stomach. I was going to faint. What was happening? What -- ?
It stopped.
I closed my eyes and put a hand on the banister to steady myself.
"Honey, are you okay? Are you having trouble with your asthma? Are you alright?"
